According to a study by the National Coffee Association, more than 75 percent of U.S. adults drink coffee and 58 percent reported drinking coffee daily in 2012. The point of these factoids? People loooooooove coffee. Enter Mitchell Sheffield’s invention: Fridge Barista Cold Brewed Coffee Maker.

“Cold-brewed coffee has been around for a while. It gained popularity in the 1960s,” Sheffield said. “Cold-brewed coffee is very different than hot-brewed coffee that has been placed in the refrigerator. Hot brewing releases more fats and oils from the beans that cold brewing just doesn’t.”

Sheffield actually began his Fridge Barista journey before One Spark was even announced.

“Even while working on a shoestring and start-up budget, Fridge Barista has strived to have all of our FDA-safe recyclable plastic components be made and assembled in the U.S.A.,” Sheffield said.

The Fridge Barista apparatus can be used much like an automatic drip coffeemaker is used for hot-brewed coffee. It's made of recyclable plastic, it's dishwasher safe and has a self-contained filter — and includes iced coffee recipes.

Over the past decade, drinking a cup of joe served over ice has become much more acceptable. Starbucks does it, Dunkin Donuts offers it and most mom-and-pop shops know their customers demand it. But what about patrons who want to make iced coffee at home? Sheffield saw a niche and decided to fill it.

“When One Spark’s timeline matched up with Fridge Barista's timeline, it became a great place to officially launch and seek capital investment to increase sales and gross profits while maximizing contribution margins via economies of scale.”